Kentucky Whiskey Distiller Planting 12,000 Trees As Part Of A Sustainability Program

The Kentucky whiskey distiller Angel’s Envy is planting more than 12,000 trees in the Daniel Boone National Forest. The move is part of the company’s sustainability program.

In September of last year Angel’s Envy fans shared photos on social media with #AE4THETREES. The company counted more than 12,000 photos and posts with the hashtag, so they’re planting a tree for almost every post. Kyle Henderson is the production manager at the Louisville-based Angel’s Envy. He said it means a lot to him to be part of the sustainability effort.

“So when I’m long gone and my kids and my grandkids are still working here we may be cutting those trees down to use in a barrel,” he said.

The majority of the trees planted by employees of Angel’s Envy will be white oak--the kind of trees used to make the barrels that store bourbon. Henderson said Angel’s Envy planted about six-thousand trees last year.

“So this year we bought, I want to say, 16,000 barrels. Which is approximately 8,000 trees worth of wood,” he said. “If we’re going to be planting 12,000 trees we are putting more trees in the ground than we are taking out for our barrels.”

While the distillery funds the effort, they don’t own any of the trees since they’re being planted on federal property in the Daniel Boone National Forest.

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